Fiber-optic map details Vicksburg siege

Beginning today, visitors to the Vicksburg National Military Park will have a more complete picture of how the 1863 campaign of Vicksburg unfolded, thanks to a new fiber-optic map unveiled in the Visitor Center Wednesday.

"The only audio/visual presentation we've had up until this point has been the 18-minute video we show, and there are no maps included in it whatsoever," said park historian Terry Winschel. "That's the biggest complaint we've received over the years. People want to see a map of the entire campaign to better understand the events leading up to the siege of Vicksburg."

Aided by an audio narrative, the fiber-optic map chronologically details the many movements and battles of Union and Confederate Armies via blue and red lights on a large map of Vicksburg and the surrounding area. Beneath the map, brief textual descriptions of day-to-day events of the 1863 campaign follow the audio narrative to further complete the story.